A techno-economic analysis of protonic ceramic electrolysis cells (PCECs) for advancing the future of large-scale green hydrogen production

Protonic ceramic electrolysis cells (PCECs) are efficient devices for green hydrogen generation. However, limited studies on system-level PCEC result in a lack of understanding of the practical and economic performance of PCEC systems. To fill this gap, a system model of PCEC is developed. The deep neural network model trained by a 2D numerical model is innovatively integrated into the system model, simultaneously achieving rapid PCEC stack performance prediction and computing costs saving. The impacts of system operating and cost parameters on the system performance are quantified. The levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) of PCEC system is calculated as 10.46 $/kg H₂. Importantly, the analysis shows that reducing electricity cost is the most effective strategy to reduce LCOH, in addition to reducing the system's degradation. The optimal PCEC system operating conditions for maximizing the H₂ production and minimizing the production cost are identified. Though the optimised LCOH reduces by 1 %, the effective current density is remarkably improved by 20 %. This study provides a holistic overview of PCEC performance at the system level, enabling a quantitative and comparative analysis of the economic viability of PCEC for hydrogen production. Recommendations on PCEC future development to promote the large-scale hydrogen production are presented.